Stoker’s Dracula – review

Adapted by: Ray Thomas & Dick Giordano

First Published: 2005

Contains spoilers

Back in 1973 Marvel released a comic book series called “Dracula Lives!” During its run, Ray Thomas decided to create a faithful comic book recreation of Dracula, which he adapted and had Dick Giordano illustrate. This became a regular story but, due to the short lived run of the actual comic series, and the even shorter run of “Legion of Monsters” in which they tried to continue, never got further than the attacks on Lucy.

Cut forward some 30 years and Marvel commissioned the two men to complete the series, which was released as 4 comics. This graphic novel is the project pulled into a single volume.

There is very little point going into the story as it is a very faithful retelling of the original, for the most part, with any omissions being minor indeed. The art work within it is a joy, the black and white comic book style feeling very much like the year in which it was first produced – and whilst there are some technique differences in the newer sections they have generically the same feel. This is not to say that the setting has been modernised conceptually from the nineteenth century in any way, this is a comment on the artwork style only and this older style gives the volume (looking at it in the 21st Century) an antiquated feel that works very well with the subject matter.

The volume itself is a lovely, ribbon marker, hardback and this is an essential for any genre collector. Not a lot else to say really, so a short review all told but a worthy 8.5 out of 10.